Fantastic Four #2 SPOILERS

[mrbrklyn]

I think some one put earlier that they would be happy if sales stabilised at 80k....say around that after the 12 issue mark and stays steady.

In terms of monthly sales, that would be huge, if I have understood the Diamond charts of late.

[JKtheMac]

Would you define “fall flat on face” by eventual sales?

I can’t see a better way of doing it...but I’ve no real idea what would constitute success using that criteria.

I think we’d all be surprised if the initial sales of 350k doesn’t fall rapidly, however good the comic is. That, alas, is way industry works now.

I think some one put earlier that they would be happy if sales stabilised at 80k....say around that after the 12 issue mark and stays steady.

I thought at time that was actually ambitious in today’s market.....a lot of very good comics don’t sell anything like that. (Wonder what Jonathan Hickman run was selling at, halfway in?)

I would define success as something we all recognise as an ongoing. None of us have any insight into sales beyond the highly artificial, and increasingly narrow focused glimpses we get reading Diamond figures every month. For a title like the Fantastic Four the only thing that matters is still being here in three or four years. Everyone at Marvel wants the Fantastic Four to sit alongside properties like ASM and Avengers as mainstays of their output.

Unfortunately the way the modern market works not even ASM and Avengers can guarantee this kind of success, so even this measure wouldn’t cast shade on the creative teams, but for a property like this I don’t particularly care if one writer holds the reigns, just that they can successfully pass the torch on.

So success for me not killing the property.

Given Slott’s clear skills and track record with a high profile ongoing title, I think we are in safe hands. So far I am all in after a few reservations from issue one that have mostly disappeared. My one nagging doubt is the direction chosen for Doom which feels a little retrograde, but potentially may end up being a new direction.

[CaptCleghorn]

I would define success as something we all recognise as an ongoing. None of us have any insight into sales beyond the highly artificial, and increasingly narrow focused glimpses we get reading Diamond figures every month. For a title like the Fantastic Four the only thing that matters is still being here in three or four years. Everyone at Marvel wants the Fantastic Four to sit alongside properties like ASM and Avengers as mainstays of their output.

Unfortunately the way the modern market works not even ASM and Avengers can guarantee this kind of success, so even this measure wouldn’t cast shade on the creative teams, but for a property like this I don’t particularly care if one writer holds the reigns, just that they can successfully pass the torch on.

So success for me not killing the property.

Given Slott’s clear skills and track record with a high profile ongoing title, I think we are in safe hands. So far I am all in after a few reservations from issue one that have mostly disappeared. My one nagging doubt is the direction chosen for Doom which feels a little retrograde, but potentially may end up being a new direction.

A couple of points I'd like to address here. You are correct about us not knowing sales. In addition to not having complete quantitative data, we also have no idea what Marvel considers a success. Even within marvel, there may very well be people who would consider one level a success while others might call that underperforming. For us, though, success is the book coming out every month (occasionally twice, I'm OK with occasionally twice, lol).

As for Doom's direction, it's tough to accept him going back to what he was before Secret wars. Through that and Infamous, he's had some of the most drastic development we've seen in a major character. I'd expect the events of SW to have had some effect on all of the characters in FF. The Richards family having their years-long hiatus with family doing "supposedly" non-superheroic stuff. How would the kids react to "normal" life? Will there be tension between the adults based on being seperated for so long?

What I've seen from Dan Slott has been good stuff. I didn't read his Spidey, but I don't think it's wrong for me to say he took chances there. FF needs that (IMO). It also needs to maintain its more traditional trappings being both new and old. But I have confidence. I've been doing this a LONG time. regularly since 1971) and also have the complete set. Marvel has put talent on this book for years. I can't say otherwise. Has the result always been to my liking? Nope. But the book has been good enough and appealing enough to me to buy. And I am excited about the writer and artist here.

[U.N. Owen]

How would the kids react to "normal" life? Will there be tension between the adults based on being seperated for so long?

I imagine the kids getting into a fight with a vending machine because they simply forgot how to use one.

[CaptCleghorn]

I imagine the kids getting into a fight with a vending machine because they simply forgot how to use one.

I remember when Luke Cage had his problem with a soda machine. It could be a bonding moment.

[JKtheMac]

I didn't read his Spidey, but I don't think it's wrong for me to say he took chances there. FF needs that (IMO). It also needs to maintain its more traditional trappings being both new and old.

I believe Slott's ASM did maintain the trappings of ASM. It also went all out to be a crazy roller-coaster ride. Just recounting the life/death/life of Doc Ock over his run would take pages of very convoluted and interconnected detail involving clones, body swaps and computer AI, stringing together story-arcs for the whole of the run.

The question is, is that taking chances, or is that doing his job as the writer of a comic book thematically about radiation inspired animal/human hybrids, cloning, and weird-science? I would suggest the latter. I don't see any point taking on the writing of ASM unless you are going to do that kind of stuff. Address those ongoing themes and push them to extremes.

People love to think that ASM is all about Peter as a young man and his dilema's over looking after Aunt May while fighting villains. Some want to see him as a young married man trying to get on with his life while also holding down his superhero role. For me the thing that defines Spider-Man is that he is a spider themed hero who fights animal themed bad guys and supervillains who use mad bioscience. The rest is situation and character.

[kilderkin]

I believe Slott's ASM did maintain the trappings of ASM. It also went all out to be a crazy roller-coaster ride. Just recounting the life/death/life of Doc Ock over his run would take pages of very convoluted and interconnected detail involving clones, body swaps and computer AI, stringing together story-arcs for the whole of the run.

The question is, is that taking chances, or is that doing his job as the writer of a comic book thematically about radiation inspired animal/human hybrids, cloning, and weird-science? I would suggest the latter. I don't see any point taking on the writing of ASM unless you are going to do that kind of stuff. Address those ongoing themes and push them to extremes.

People love to think that ASM is all about Peter as a young man and his dilema's over looking after Aunt May while fighting villains. Some want to see him as a young married man trying to get on with his life while also holding down his superhero role. For me the thing that defines Spider-Man is that he is a spider themed hero who fights animal themed bad guys and supervillains who use mad bioscience. The rest is situation and character.

I think you make a good point about the characters and their situations

The core of a character is not the same as their situation

It should suggest how they react to their situation, in a good story that for me is paramount

[mrbrklyn]

The FF 646 numbers had to be buoyed by dozens of variant covers as well as anticipation after a three year hiatus..

what is FF 646?

[U.N. Owen]

Is the Future Foundation still going to be a thing in the new headquarters of the FF or will they be disbanded?

[mrbrklyn]

Is the Future Foundation still going to be a thing in the new headquarters of the FF or will they be disbanded?

what is FF 646?

[Hypestyle]

who are the parents of all the kids in the Future Foundation?

[Crimz]

who are the parents of all the kids in the Future Foundation?

Onome has parents in Wakanda that I don't know the names of

Alex Power is the eldest of the Power Pack

Bentley 23 is the clone of the Wizard but Sue and Reed are his legal guardians

The two Atlanteans parents were killed and Sue is their legal guardian

The Moloids have no parents and are pretty much adopted by the team too

Artie and Leech have no parents so I believe that they were adopted into the family too

Am I missing anyone?

[Kirby101]

what is FF 646?

Fantastic Four #1 from last month had the legacy numbering of #646.

[mrbrklyn]

who are the parents of all the kids in the Future Foundation?

You need a RDMS to get that information...

[mrbrklyn]

Fantastic Four #1 from last month had the legacy numbering of #646.

It is hard to know what the legacy number is with so many FF and Fantastic Four volumes... Marvel really made a mess of this. I thought they had fixed it with FF 500, but NOOOO